The influence of jazz upon popular culture is perhaps the most apparent
when looking at the developments in the fashion industry during the 1920s.
This whole industry targeted a society that revolved around a certain kind
of music. The flapper fashions ostensibly illustrate the importance of
jazz to the consumer market of the Jazz Age. Because of the post-was
economic boom, the consumer market was enormous, and the fashion industry
followed the demands of the new and rising American youth culture. Jazz
music was the propelling force of this new culture. By 1925, The wild and
primitive sound of jazz music filled the streets of every major city in
the United States. The popularity of jazz music with the general populous
was unprecedented. Part of the popularity of jazz music was due to the
fact that it was incredible dance music. The Charleston quickly became
the most popular dance in the dance halls across the United States. The
Victorian clothing of the pre-war era was clearly unsuitable jazz apparel.
The evolution in jazz music throughout the 1920s was accompanied by
reflective changes in the fashion industry.

While women's fashion has always been an important part of the
consumer target market, it did not become a craze in the United States
until the 1920s. This is illustrated by the drastic increase in the
number of fashion magazines sold in the 1920s. In "Ladies Fashions of the
1920s," Nolan states, "The 1920s saw the emergence of three major women's
fashion magazines: Vogue, The Queen, and Harper's Bazaar" (Vintage
Fashions, p.1). Nolan goes on to state that even thought Vogue was first
published in 1892, it did not begin to influence the consumer market until
the 1920s (Vintage Fashions, p.1). In fact, there were very few fashion
magazines that did not sell merchandise until the Roaring Twenties. Jazz
music was so wildly popular in the twenties, that the fashion industry was
barely able to satisfy the needs of its youthful consumers. Like the
evolution of jazz music, jazz or "flapper" fashions evolved in stages.
The first notable change in fashion came in 1921. "Drop-waist" dresses
were introduced, and long strings of glass beads and pearls became very
fashionable, due to Coco Chanel. The low-waisted dress was not yet
popular, but neither was jazz music. The first mass marketed jazz
recordings were made in 1923, and the popularity of jazz soared.
Consequently, women's dresses became loosely fitted, and waistlines
dropped to the hips. Upper and lower body freedom was essential when
dancing the Charleston, so dresses were cut to reflect the ability to move
freely while dancing.

The
Flapperby Dorothy Parker

The playful flapper here we see,
The fairest of the fair.
She's not what Grandma used to be,--
You might say au contraire.
Her girlish ways make a stir,
Her manners cause a scene,
But there is no more harm in her
Than in a submarine.

She nightly knocks for many a goal
The usual dancing men.
Her speed is great, but her control
Is something else again.
All spotlights focus on her pranks.
All tongues her prowess herald.
For which she well may render thanks
To God or Scott Fitzgerald.

Her golden rule is plain enough-
Just get them young and treat them
rough.

In an article published in the New York Times on March 21,1926,
one man stated that "The mannish look that women strive for today is
ridiculous!" (New York Times, March 21, 1926). This was not quite correct.
By "mannish" the man was referring to the trend of binding the torso and
cutting hair short. These "mannish" fashion trends served a purpose. The
fragile and precarious hairstyles of the pre-war era were unsuitable for
jazz dancing. The "bobbed" hairstyle of the 1920s was not only a mark of
rebellion, it was a practical style for the popular dance music. The
Charleston was a very vigorous dance, and chest binding, while appearing
"mannish" to some people, would have been a functional practice for many
women.

In 1925 dresses began to resemble "shifts," which had been
undergarments for hundreds of years. These dresses had no waistline and
were loose, which allowed complete freedom of movement. Arms were cut
loosely and skirts approached knee length. The period of 1925-1927 was
the period that jazz enthusiasts often refer to as the "classic years" of
early jazz recordings. It was during this time that Armstrong recorded
his hot fives and sevens. Count Bassie, Earl Hines, Fletcher Henderson,
and Duke Ellington also made some famous recordings during this period.
The jazz music of this time was still wild and exciting dance music, which
was reflected in the fashions of the day. In the Fashion Source book of
the 1920s, Peacock states that an average ensemble for evening wear in
1927 would consist of: "A sleeveless mesh dress embroidered all over with
gold sequins, a low V-shaped neckline, a loosely fitted bodice, and a
flared short skirt. Gold kid shoes and matching handbag, along with a long
string of pearls" (p.58).

It would be a mistake to assume that flapper fashion only appealed
to the youth of the 1920s. While the older generation of people often
disparaged the wild new jazz culture, they very much adhered to the
dictated clothing fashions of that culture. In an article published in
The New Republic on September 9, 1925, Bilven wrote that "Flapper Janes"
(young flappers) were not alone in their clothing styles. He stated that
"These clothes are being worn by all of Jane's sisters and her cousins and
her aunts. They are being worn by ladies who are three times Jane's
age...Their use is universal" (The New Republic, p.12). The flapper
fashions were also widespread because they were easy to mass produce. The
simple lines, loose bodice, and short skirts were easy to market, because
they would fit almost any women (in various sizes). Sears Roebuck's mail
order catalog was filled with flapper fashions, and they shipped these
clothes to large and small towns across the United States. As jazz music
evolved into Big Band music, which was slower paced more refined, women's
fashions followed suit. In "1920s Haute Couture," Silvren states, "By the
end of the decade, feminine curves, lower hemlines, and uncovered
foreheads- all to return uncompromisingly in the Thirties-had already
begun to reappear"(p.21).